Feature Story
How SVU Gave Wells Fargo Executive Ryan Lenahan a Launching Pad for Life
Ryan Lenahan (’06) currently serves as the Executive Director for Wells Fargo Advisors in downtown Salt Lake City, overseeing wealth management professionals across Utah and Idaho. His interest in finance began in high school, but it was his time at Southern Virginia University that helped give him the skills, confidence, leadership experience and initiative to build a career around it.
After graduating with a finance degree from Southern Virginia University, Lenahan started his career as a mortgage loan officer in Lexington, Virginia. When the company closed during the 2008 housing crash, he decided to pivot into wealth management, joining Wachovia Bank’s Wealth Management Unit’s sales desk in St. Louis, Missouri. When Wachovia merged with Wells Fargo, Lenahan spent several years as a field coach before applying for Wells Fargo’s elite Branch Manager Leadership Program, a multi-day evaluation judged by regional presidents.
“It was almost like being in the Missionary Training Center all over again,” Lenahan said. “You have all these regional presidents staring at you as you work through high-pressure scenarios to see how you perform. It’s a very difficult assessment that you have to go through.”
That drive to grow and pursue a career in finance was fostered long before he entered Wells Fargo’s leadership program, thanks to his professors and peers during his time at SVU. Lenahan was initially recruited to play soccer at SVU and later joined the wrestling team as well. But it was during his sophomore year that he started seriously considering a mission and about the direction he wanted his life to take.
“In my off-campus house my sophomore year, which is now the Southern Sem house, , one of my housemates and I were the two guys who hadn’t gone on missions yet,” said Lenahan. “I think the returned missionaries living with us looked at us as projects, but they were a great influence on me. I ended up serving a mission in France, but had I not been at SVU, I don’t think I would have taken the path I’m on now.”
After his mission, Lenahan returned to campus with a clear focus on finance. Determined never to be idle, he threw himself into campus life, participating in student government, launching a campus recycling club, and serving as the Chair of the Elections Committee and VP Counsel of the Legal Forum.
Inside the classroom, professors like Todd Brotherson and guest lecturers like Don Clarke, former CEO of Lord & Taylor, gave Lenahan opportunities to learn high-level business strategy from experienced business leaders. Outside class, a friend gave him “The Richest Man in Babylon” and “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” further solidifying his desire to work in finance.
“Living my faith and never being idle or complacent helped me more than anything else. Living my values gave me clarity, and getting involved at SVU taught me how to lead and gave me a launching pad for my career,” Lenahan said. “When I went into my career, it felt like doing what I was doing at SVU—getting involved, coming up with ideas, and taking initiative, and that spirit carried me forward.”
Today, Lenahan lives in Herriman, Utah with his wife, whom he met while attending SVU, and three kids. They also have two daughters on campus attending SVU as second-generation students.